102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

Designing a lesson on Plate Tectonics to engage and counter

common student misconceptions

Part A: Science Interview

A single participant was interviewed on the stage 5 science topic Earth Science 2 (ES2) to

determine their ideas on the subject. In ES2, students learn that the theory of plate tectonics

explains geological activity, global patterns and continental movement. Two specific outcomes

were selected for the interview:

1. (b) relate movements of the Earths plates to mantle convection currents and

gravitational forces. (BOSTES, 2016)

2. (c) outline how the theory of plate tectonics explains earthquakes, volcanic

activity and formation of new landforms. (BOSTES, 2016)

The interviewee was a twenty-three year old female with limited background in geology. To

protect the interviewees identity, the pseudonym Inga will be used throughout this report. In

order to elicit Ingas ideas about these concepts, the phenomena chosen was volcanoes. The idea

was to first probe Ingas understanding of why more volcanoes form in some parts of the world

then others. The interview then aimed to see if this information could then be related to tectonic

plate existence and movements. During the protocol, an idea of how Inga thought plate

movement occurred was gathered alongside her conception of how plate movement and land

formation were related. The full interview protocol can be seen in figure 1. A partial written

transcript of the interview has been provided to demonstrate Ingas understanding on the topic.

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

Scientists have shown that there are more active

volcanoes in some parts of the world then others. Why do
you think this is?

- near a fault line More volcanoes result from more Most places have mountains, which
- mention tectonic plates tectonic plates are the same as volcanoes
- hot spots (volcanoes with the tops cut off)

Is this similar to what happens with

So if volcanoes occur near fault
What is it about the plates at these earthquakes?
lines, is this related to volcano or
lines that is different? Why are earthquakes more frequent What is it about a tectonic plate that Why do you think they have
land formation? Why or why not?
-mention of movmement in certain places? relates to a volcano? different names?
How do the plates move? Do you think earthquakes are
How does this relate to time?
related to plate motion?

What are associated with

- misconception: tectonic plates Would this also be applied to volcanoes? (earthquakes)
move around on a see of molten lava earthquakes? Why are earthquakes What is similar between a volcano
or continents move like plates on frequent in some places? and earthquake?
the ocean Do we get many bad earthquakes in
- When the plates move does that Australia? Why/Why not?
effect the oceans as well as
contients? [misconception: edge of
continent is plate boundary]

Australia does have inactive

volcanoes - why do some volcanoes
become inactive?

Figure 1: Interview Protocol

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

Interview Transcript 20 discourses

Researcher: When talking about this, do you think new landforms could be formed?

Inga: Yes, well new forms, with lowering of sea levels, land is formed. Underground mountains
and plateaus exposed. Is that what you mean? Exposing new landforms? Or erosion creating
new like the wearing down of mountains.

R: In terms of how you were talking before about plate tectonics, and how the newer things were
more closely located to the fault line - how do you think that plate tectonics plays into the
formation of new land forms?

I: Plate tectonics, because its very active areas. It um.. I dont know.. squash the land and make it
into different mountains.

R: When these new land forms occur, what do you think forces the plates to squish together?

I: I dont know, thats a good question! I suppose, theyre just moving moving around, you
know. The underground volcanic forces

R: What do you think is a volcanic force?

I: Volcanic force is you know one thinks of volcanoes as being like pimples ... Large amounts of
molten rock produce large amounts of energy which create you know movement and explosions
when they meet and come up to the surface in certain spots. Theres certain spots where molten
core comes through to the surface and thats what causes volcanoes.

R: Great thank you. So if we were to talk about this but with earthquakes and their frequency
why are earthquakes more frequent in some areas rather then others?

I: Well they seem to be associated with volcanoes, active, on the edges of thewe do get
earthquakes as well but there must be some other aspects to them but not the bad ones. The bad
ones are all around the edges of the plates arent they.

R: Do you think that earthquakes are related to plate motion?

I: Yes I do.

R: In what way?

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

I: Well, because theres a lot of action. Well earthquakes seem to be what they call the
epicenter... well theres some sort of explosion or release of energy in a particular spot and they
seem to happen more around the edges of the plate. Two edges of plates theres a lot of friction, a
lot of force causing problems.

R: Ok so talking about the plates motion before you were talking about continental drift - what
did you mean by that? Is it related to this?

I: I mean that continents are all moving in different directions. A few cm this way and a few cm
that way. Isnt it that North America is about 50m or something further away then when
Columbus? He would have had to have gone a bit further

R: Do you think there is a difference between continental drift and plate tectonics?

I: Well theyre connected really I think. The continents connect to rocks, which we cant see that
are moving under the ground.

R: So, if you wanted to find a plate, to touch one, how would you do that?

I: Oh ummm I think youd probably fall down a great big crevice. Thats my imagination; Ive
got no idea really. Ive just got this big picture of all these big rocks underneath with edges and
moving under the ground creating [friction noise] and creating [banging sound].

R: How do you think that is related to the oceans? So how do oceans differ to continents?

I: Um in terms of tectonics theyre no different really because theyre a surface so the

continents is covered with a surface of land and oceans with a surface of water and all the action
is going on under the surface. You know we cant see it. All the volcanoes or the rising up of
smaller islands in the water from volcanoes or whatever is from where you cant see. It just, you
know. We only see the results. We dont see whats happening underneath.

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

Ingas conceptions compared with current scientific conceptions

After the first question, Inga immediately brought up the concept of fault lines quickly

identifying that Japan and New Zealand are closer to fault lines then Australia and therefore have

more volcanoes. She also quickly brought up the terminology of plate tectonics. She stated that

Australia is older then Japan and that the age was related to this phenomena. However, when

probed on how this age could be related to plate tectonics in regards to the creation of new

landforms, she didnt understand the process exactly. Her response was that the plates squash

together to form mountains with no mention of volcanoes. Whilst not scientifically articulate it

does show knowledge of the fundamental processes behind mountain formation. Similarly, she

had an understanding that the plates were moving to force this squishing. However, when

probed on her beliefs regarding the mechanism behind movement, she did not know. She

answered with volcanic forces where large amounts of molten rock produce large amounts of

energy which createmovement. Whilst not accurate, this idea is reminiscent of the idea behind

convection current theory that the heat energy of rocks below the surface causes movement.

Of interest is that despite her immediate knowledge of the existence of plates, she did not know

how you would touch one. When asked, she answered that you would have to fall down a great

big crevice, as she imagined the plates as big rocks not just below but separate to the Earths

surface. This idea was emphasised when asked whether she thought it was the same between

land and oceans. She stated that there is a, surface of land and a surface of water and all the

action is going on under the surface. This was similar to the findings of Ford and Taylor (2006, p.

39), who showed that some students believe plates to exist below the Earths surface whilst

current scientific understanding tells us that the Earths crust is in fact a part of the plate (Smith &

Burmea, 2012, p. 355).

Interview technique and success

The interview elicited a number of interesting ideas held by Inga on the concepts surrounding

plate tectonics and movement and was therefore reasonably successful. However, more skill

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would have allowed the researcher to better discover and highlight Ingas conceptions and

misconceptions. There were times in the interview when it perhaps would have been better to

continue questioning a certain topic, but instead the topic was changed so as to understand

Ingas idea on something related but different. This is evident upon re-reading the transcript

surrounding Ingas conceptions of volcanic forces, where Inga provided their conception of

volcanic forces but was not asked to explore it further. Instead, the topic was changed to

earthquakes. This was partially due to the researchers confusion on how the questioning should

take place should it be informative as well as inquisitive? Or is it purely to garner information?

As the conceived purpose of this interview was solely to gather information, the researcher

decided not to engage in any discussion that could give answers away and instead moved

between topics. The ability to elicit information without providing Inga with extra information or

prompts is a skill that would have improved this particular interview process. This is a skill

highlighted by Ford and Taylor (2006, p. 40) who note the importance of developing activities

that draw out student thinking.

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

Part B: Exploring prior conceptions

Major areas of difficulty for students when learning about this topic

According to a study by Ford and Taylor (2006, p. 41) there are a multitude of misconceptions in

high school aged students related to areas they find difficult to understand. Four major areas for

these misconceptions were highlighted: (i) plates, (ii) plate movement and plate interaction, (iii)

plate interactions result in events and features, and (iv) recycling of plate material. Related to

misconceptions surrounding plates, students demonstrated that they thought plates were

somehow below and not really related to the Earths surface. On one topic, students showed

opposite misconceptions, as some believed that a continent was a plate whilst others believed

continents have no relationships to plates. The conflation between continents and plates has

been demonstrated elsewhere in the literature (Dolphin & Benoit, 2016, p. 285).

Regarding plate movement and plate interaction, students held multiple misconceptions. These

included the ideas that; earthquakes caused Pangea to break apart, plate movement cannot be

measured because it is so slow, plates now are the same size and shape that they have always

been, when plates move towards each other they fill a gap between the plates, and that if plates

are moving apart at a rate of 2cm per year the distance moved is too insignificant to notice (Ford

& Taylor, 2006, p. 41).

Further areas of difficulty were understanding how plate interactions resulted in events and

features. This included misconceptions such as; earthquakes are caused by plates crashing

together (the bigger the crash, the bigger the earthquake), erosion is the only process that

changes the appearance of the Earth, when two plates come together non-volcanic mountains

always form, earthquakes cause all volcanic eruption (and vice versa), and mountains form when

earthquakes push the ground up (Ford & Taylor, 2006, p. 41).

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

These findings indicate difficulty in understanding what constitutes a plate and what happens at

plate boundaries. The concept of elasticity within plates is also difficult for students, who view

rocks as brittle, not elastic. Students therefore have difficulty conceptualising the occurrence of

earthquakes as being a mechanism of these elastic properties (Dolphin & Benoit, 2016, p. 285).

The everyday meaning and experience of a plate reinforces student perceptions of an inelastic,

brittle plate (Dolphin & Benoit, 2016, p. 285). In addition to being unable to understand the

dynamics of plate motions, students do not understand that most earthquake energy release

happens below the surface (Smith & Burmea, 2012, p. 356).

When interviewing university geology students, Smith and Bermea (2012, p. 355) noted that

students misunderstandings were in fact alternative conceptions as opposed to incomplete

knowledge. They found similar results to Ford and Taylor (2006) in that students had a

misunderstanding of what properties define a plate, noting a persistent conception that the crust

overlies, rather than is a part of, the lithosphere.

How Ingas ideas compare to the literature

The difficulties presented by students in the literature mirror some of the difficulties experienced

by Inga. Inga demonstrated her belief that tectonic plates are somehow separate to the crust as

evidenced by her belief that in order to touch a plate a person would need to throw him or

herself down a crevice. The students in Smith and Bermea (2012, p. 355) likewise did not have

the scientific understanding that the crust is a part of the lithosphere and therefore part of a

plate.

With many misconceptions articulated in the literature, Inga had the right idea she knew that

plates and continents were not the same thing and that continents were attached to plates. She

was quite well versed in the knowledge that tectonic plate boundaries are related to volcanic

activity and earthquakes. However, she did have difficulty in expressing what that meant exactly.

Inga when asked how volcanoes form said that the squishing of plates resulted in mountains,

without mentioning volcanoes. This could indicate confusion between her existing ideas. She

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knew that volcanoes cluster at plate boundaries but that mountains form when plate boundaries

meet and plate material is pushed upwards. Inga may have been trying to resolve the difficulty

some students face as they believe that non-volcanic mountains always form when two plates

come together (Ford & Taylor, 2006, p. 41).

Her understanding of plate tectonic movement and its relationship to land formation was less

well established. When initially questioned, she brought up that Japan is newer then Australia,

indicating an understanding that landforms are constantly changing and therefore that some are

newer then others. However, she did not put these two concepts together when questioned and

instead immediately went to the concept of erosion. This ties into the difficulties experienced by

students in the literature, who thought that erosion was the only process by which landforms are

altered (Ford & Taylor, 2006, p. 41).

Potential sources for students difficulties when learning this topic

Smith and Burmea (2012, p. 355) suggest that the mental model of compositional layering

developed by students during earlier years makes it hard for them to subsequently accommodate

a more complex understanding. Linking in with Piagets concepts of accommodation and

assimilation in conceptual change, students assimilate new knowledge into their pre-existing

model to construct understanding (Robinson, 2013, p. 9). In this case, students assign the

asthenosphere and lithosphere to layers wholly within the mantle (Smith & Burmea, 2012, p.

355). Similarly, students learn about their environment through concrete, embodied experiences

and project meaning from these experiences onto abstract concepts. When learning abstract

topics such as plate tectonics, areas of difficulty arose when the concepts moved beyond the

realm of personal experience (Dolphin & Benoit, 2016, p. 286).

These theories can be applied to the findings by Ford and Taylor (2006, p. 43), who highlighted

that students may have some correct knowledge but dont understand the processes to apply

them accurately. For instance, students knew that plates moved very slowly, but misinterpreted

this information to mean that plates move too slowly for their interactions to have any significant

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impact. Such conceptualization has been noted in the literature, as students can struggle with

conceptualising geologic processes due to the large scales of space and time through which they

occur (Dolphin & Benoit, 2016, p. 277). In addition to this, many critical pieces of evidence for

tectonics plates are inferred within the Earths interior rather than directly observed (Smith &

Burmea, 2012). From this knowledge the necessity to integrate new knowledge with existing

knowledge schemas can be seen.

Another noted misconception was the idea that erosion is the only process altering the

appearance of the Earth (Ford & Taylor, 2006). In Australia, this misconception may occur

because erosion is taught repeatedly throughout the syllabus in stages 1, 2 and 4 well before

plate tectonics in stage 5 (BOSTES, 2016). A greater link between plate tectonics and land

formation must therefore be drawn in students minds.

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

Part C: Lesson Plan and Curriculum Materials

Lesson Plan

Stage and Topic

Stage 5: Tectonic plate movements, earthquakes, volcanoes and land formation

Big Ideas Associated with the Topic

The Earths crust is split up into separate tectonic plates that move. There are two different types
of plates: continental (CP) and oceanic (OP), with OP denser then CP. The movement of plates
causes earthquakes and new land formation at tectonic plate boundaries. Volcanoes are also
formed at boundaries but can also be formed in the middle of plates at hot spots. There are three
types of plate boundaries: convergent, divergent and transform. Convergent boundaries exist
where plates collide, causing the subduction of one plate under the other. If it is CP-CP then
mountains form, OP-OP mountains and volcanoes form as one OP is subducted under the other,
OP-CP then the denser OP is subducted under the CP forming volcanoes and mountains.
Divergent boundaries are where plates move apart, causing see floor spreading and ridges.
Transform boundaries are when two plates slide alongside each other, causing earthquakes and
faults. Students will be able to develop an idea of what constitutes a tectonic plate by recognizing
its structure. They will also be able to recognize that plate movements are related to volcanoes,
earthquakes and land formation.

Alignment with Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding Domain

Stage 5, ES2: The theory of plate tectonics explains global patterns of geological activity and
continental movement.

Students:
c. Outline how the theory of plate tectonics explains earthquakes, volcanic activity and formation
of new landforms

Working Scientifically Domain

Stage 5, WS4.b. Predicting outcomes based on observations and scientific knowledge

Stage 5, WS6.e. Reporting data and information, evidence and findings, with accuracy and
honesty

Stage 5, WS8.e. Using models to explain phenomena and make predictions

Lesson Objectives
The student will:
Predict movement of the cream when the biscuits are moved in particular ways
Recognise the relationship between specific plate boundaries and volcanic activity,
earthquakes and land formation
Identify the structure of tectonic plates.
Materials and Preparation Before Class Safety Issues Addressed
Materials for students: Salada crackers, Potential choking hazard with Saladas.
whipped cream, plastic plates, plastic
spoon, tap water, butchers paper, texters Provide drinking water so that they can eat the
Saladas after wetted tell students not to wet
Desks oriented so that students are sitting crackers using water from the taps at the lab
in groups of 4-6. workbenches. Potential chemical hazard if

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

chemical present on tap rim.

Website Pass My Exams contains no advertising

and only has educational content no risk of
images showing inappropriate content.
Day/Time Teachers Work Students Work Assessment

10 min Show students image of

Pangea ask students what
the image shows about the
continents and how they fit
together. Ask them What has
happened to the continents?
Review Earths structure. Get
students to work in groups
and draw the Earths
structure (core, mantle,
lithosphere, crust).
Listen and participate in
discussion about Pangea.
Draw structure.
Diagnostic
assessment of
student knowledge
on the structure of
Earth (core, mantle,
crust, lithosphere)
(Stage 4, ES1a).

Transition we are going to

be building on your
knowledge of the Earths
internal structure and look at
why the continents have
drifted apart.
10 min Show students (project, Watch demonstration and
draw, smartboard etc) a draw on their diagrams.
labeled model of a plates
including the upper mantle
(asthenosphere), lithosphere
and crust. Get students to
draw in additions to their
diagrams.
5 min Introduce Snack Tectonics
investigation. We will be
putting down a layer of
whipped cream on the plate
and creating a nice thick even
layer with the spoon. Then
we will take the Salada
biscuits, break them along
the fault line and move them
on top of the cream in certain
ways. The Salada biscuits will
model the tectonic plates
whilst the cream will model Listen to instructions.
the asthenosphere.

Give students Snack Tectonics

handout.

Tell students that each

person must have an
individual plate but to work
in groups at their tables
(collaborate).
Explain to students where the

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102087 Assignment 1
materials are.
Explain to students not to eat
the food initially but they will
be allowed to eat at the end.
30 min Model the first question up
the front so students
understand the process of the
experiment. Ask students
what happened to the Salada.
Ask students to fill out their
predictions first.
Get students work through
the worksheets together.
Walk around to the groups
and check their predictions
and results.
Ask questions:
1) What did your group
predict for each question?
2) What is happening to the
plates when you push them?
What is happening to the
cream? How does this play in
with your knowledge of the
Earths structure?
Allocate each group a
different question that they
must present to the rest of
the class. Get them to draw
their diagram on butchers
paper and explain what they
saw happen in their model.
20 min Get the different groups to
share their answer with the
class.
As each group presents, have
a diagram or gif to present to
the class that demonstrates
what is happening for each
example.
Ask questions
If you wanted to touch a
plate, how would you do
that?
What happens between the
plates at the boundaries?
Get students to write their
names on the butchers paper
for collection.
5 min Give students follow up
Student Number: 18616763
Listen and participate in Informally monitor
discussion. students ability to
interpret directions
and read method.
Informally monitor
Fill out predictions. students
predictions and
answers.
Students follow the
instructions and work
through the handouts. They
model the different plate
movements and record their
observations on the
handouts. Students use
information in the handout
on the three different plate
boundary types
(convergent, divergent and
transform) to put
information together. They
compare the information to
their findings and see what
conclusions they come to.
They model their
predictions against their
results.
Share answer with class on Collect all drawings
butchers paper. from lesson as a
reference point for
students
understanding.
Engage in class discussion
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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

handout to complete at home

Adaptations / Accommodations for Students Needs

Language difficulty - Mahmoud is a newly arrived refugee and is struggling with his English. A
page of translations will be provided to him containing key terminology. If there is another child
in the class who speaks his language with similar or better English proficiency, allocate groups so
that they are together. Collaborative work with peers will encourage engagement in content and
class participation. This can be facilitated through students with similar cultural and language
understandings. Provide him with a page of clearly written instructions. He will be checked upon
as the teacher walks around the class asking students questions.

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

Curriculum materials

Curriculum material 1: Snack Tectonics Handout.

This handout has been modified from a handout by Poarch (2006).

Name__________________________________

SNACK TECTONICS!
Aim:

1. Predict land features resulting from plate movements

2. Use models to represent the natural world and identify their limitations

Background Information:

The edges of plates are known as plate boundaries.

There are three types:
Divergent Boundary where plates are moving apart, causing sea floor spreading and rift valleys.
Convergent Boundary where plates collide or push together. Volcanoes, mountains and
earthquakes form where plates collide. When oceanic plates collide with continental plates, the
more dense oceanic plate moves under the continental plate in a process called subduction.
When two continental plates collide, mountains form. When two oceanic plates, one moves under
through subduction.
Transform Boundary where plates slide past each other. The sliding motion causes earthquakes
and faults.

Materials:

Salada biscuits
Cream
Water
Plastic plate
Plastic spoon

Procedure & Questions:

1. Spread a thick layer of cream on the paper plate.

2. Break the Salada biscuit into four pieces
3. Wet the end of one of the pieces do this quickly, do not make the Salada soggy

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

4. Gently put the wet Salada piece and a dry Salada piece on the layer of cream.
5. Push the wet cracker and a dry cracker together.

Prediction:

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Draw and label a diagram:

What tectonic process(s) does this model?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a limitation of this model?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Place two dry crackers at opposite ends of the cream. Push them together.

Prediction:

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Draw and label a diagram:

What tectonic process(s) does this model?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a limitation of this model?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Take the same two dry pieces and push them down (not too hard) and apart at the same
time.

Prediction:

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Draw and label a diagram:

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

What tectonic process(s) does this model?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a limitation of this model?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Place two dry crackers side by side on the cream. Slide them past each other.

Prediction:

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Draw and label a diagram:

What tectonic process(s) does this model?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a limitation of this model?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

If the crackers are moving against each other get stuck, what would happen? What does
this model?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Curriculum material 2: Images and gifs for Students during presentation (Pass My Exams,
2016)

Images collected from Pass My Exams (2016)

Convergent Boundary:

Oceanic to continental:

Oceanic to oceanic:

Continental to continental:

Divergent Boundary:

Seafloor spreading:

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

Rift valleys:

Transform Boundary:

Gifs present on website: http://www.passmyexams.co.uk/GCSE/physics/tectonic-plate-

motion.html

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

Tectonic Plate Image (Alfa Image, 2016):

Pangea Image (Disaster Girl, 2011):

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

How teaching this science practical will help students confront, re-think, and/or expand

upon their prior knowledge of plate tectonics

From the research presented in Part B alongside the evidence gained through the interview from

Part A, it could be seen that a major misconception was the structure of a plate. This practical is

designed to help students understand how the plates fit into the Earths structure by initially

getting them to build upon what they learned of the Earths structure in Stage 4. In doing this,

they will assimilate the new knowledge into their existing memory schemas and hopefully

understand what constitutes a plate and how that fits in with the rest of the Earth. Students

would then hopefully learn that they do not need to jump into a crevice to touch one, as Inga

imagined in Part A.

The other misconceptions evident were centered on a misunderstanding of what happens at

plate boundaries. It was noted in Part B that students may have trouble visualizing the processes

as they occur over such long periods of time and the plates are so massive (Ford & Taylor, 2006;

Dolphin & Benoit, 2016). As a result, this practical was selected as it simply and clearly models

the different types of plate boundaries and gives the students a good visualization of causal

implications at plate boundaries. As the misconceptions were identified as alternate conceptions

(Smith & Burmea, 2012), the plan aims to prevent alternate conceptions being formed by

explaining things very concretely from the beginning.

When working to build student mental models, getting the students to participate in this

modeling activity allows them to build an understanding of the model of the Earth. Students

mental models on this topic are incomplete, so it is better to get them to answer what questions

rather then why questions as they accrete knowledge of the model. Once the students have a

solid foundation of understanding on the structure of a tectonic plate, they can move on to

further their understanding of the processes the model represents (Dolphin & Benoit, 2016, p.

287). It is for this reason that the lesson primarily works on showing structures and what the

structures look like when they interact. From here, students can then build their understanding

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102087 Assignment 1 Student Number: 18616763

of why the plates move in certain ways, including plate density, convection currents and

gravitational forces.

How teaching this science practical connects to best practices in science teaching and

learning

Over the last three decades, best practice initiatives in science education have shifted from

teacher driven to student driven instruction. This practical provides student driven instruction

as the activity is socially constructive, containing elements of scientific inquiry and

communication (Areepattamannil, Freeman, & Klinger, 2011, p. 236). The elements of scientific

inquiry present include that students must make predictions, direct their investigation and

engage in a hands-on activity. However, this activity does require a level of trust with the

students, implying that when left reasonably independent the students will complete their work

without eating all the food first. In a circumstance where the teacher does not believe this is

possible, a teacher driven model can be adapted whereby the teacher works through the

worksheet with the class, demonstrating at the front of the class.

Important in science teaching is increasing intrinsic motivation to learn science. Intrinsic

motivation occurs through emotional attachment and enjoyment in the learning, allowing

students to perceive science education as a meaningful activity (Areepattamannil, Freeman, &

Klinger, 2011, p. 234). Using the food and making the task socially collaborative makes the

activity more enjoyable, thereby improving students intrinsic motivation.

Finally, the collaborative and social nature of the work makes the activity a constructivist

informed practice, allowing all students the opportunity to participate in discussion, put forward

and explore ideas, and communicate with peers. It has been shown that incorporating dialogic

classroom interactions in science instruction leads to higher student engagement and

achievement (Areepattamannil, Freeman, & Klinger, 2011, p. 237).

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References

Alfa Image. (2016). Earth Core Diagram Showing Lithosphere. Retrieved August 13, 2016, from

Alfa Image: http://alfa-img.com/show/earth-core-diagram-lithosphere.html

Areepattamannil, S., Freeman, J. G., & Klinger, D. A. (2011). Influence of motivation, self-beliefs,

and instructional practices on science achievement of adolescents in Canada. Social

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